Many challenges as Team Manmohan starts work

New Delhi: Team Manmohan will begin its work with some ministers of the Union Cabinet who were allotted their portfolios on Saturday taking charge of their respective ministries on Monday.

Manmohan Singh's Government start its second innings after the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance won comfortably in the just concluded General Elections.

The road ahead for the new government will be challenging with the economy being the prime concern. All eyes are now on Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his key challenge will be to revive the economy within the first 100 days in office.

Mukherjee has said that his first priority is getting a full Budget passed by Parliament before July 31.

The Budget is expected to lay down the plan to pull the economy out of the current slump.

Speeding up of the economy stimulation measures that had been announced by the UPA Government in its previous tenure would also be high on Mukherjee's priority list.

He will also aim at getting key financial sector legislations passed which had been pending till now due the Left's opposition.

One such bill which is likely to make its way to Parliament is the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill which will bring more private capital into pension fund management.

The Finance Ministry is also likely to resume the disinvestment programme, which would enable the public sector companies to raise funds for expansion and capital expenditures.

Also taking charge on Monday is the new Minister of External affairs SM Krishna.

Krishna has been made the MEA at a time when India's immediate neighbourhood is unstable. His key challenge will be to maintain the pressure on Pakistan to dismantle its terror infrastructure.

Getting Pakistan to convict those accused of masterminding 26/11 and preventing any such further attacks will figure high on Krishna foreign policy agenda list.

India is also expected to play an active part in ensuring that the displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka are rehabilitated, and powers are devolved for Tamil civilians.

Chief among Krishna's other long term challenges is China. Another key challenge for him will be to communicate well with the Barack Obama Administration and develop stronger ties with Russia and the European Union.

Another important minister who will begin his work is Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, who was handpicked by Manmohan Singh soon after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack to lead the Home Ministry.

Containing the menace of Naxal violence and enhancing intelligence network will be Chidambaram's biggest challenge along with tackling terrorism.

Chidambaram is also expected to establish an integrated national security database and raise cooperation between different security agencies. Police reforms and improving the police-population ratio will also be on the cards.

Defence Ministry will continue to work under AK Antony, whose top task is to ensure better military preparedness against proxy attacks like 26/11.

Antony is also likely to end the critical officer shortage and resolve the unrest in the military over pay and pensions.

He will also be focusing on the modernisation of the armed forces and making arms deals quicker and more transparent.

Taking charge at a time when the defence is poised to take a leap as a technologically-savvy force, Antony may well have to restart the Post-Kargil reform in higher defence management.

Antony will also have his hands full with ensuring modernisation of armed forces, better utililisation of the Rs 1,41,703 crore Defence Budget, making arms deals quicker, more transparent, particularly key buys like 126 fighter aircraft and the aircraft carrier Gorshkov.

He will also need to speed up development of nuclear weapons for minimum credible deterrence.

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who bagged the Railway Ministry, will have to sustain the galloping growth trajectory the ministry has recorded in the last five years.

But it's unclear when will Mamata take charge. Her prime challenge will be to ensure a "no fare hike" regime in the Railway Budget, riding on a cash-rich ministry.

She will also need to take forward big projects like the dedicated freight and high speed corridors, world class railway stations and the Jammu and Kashmir rail link project. Security in trains will also figure high on Mamata's priority list.

Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar has been retained as the Agriculture Minister. He has his work cut out for him addressing farmers’ suicide and stem debts remain his key challenges this term too.

Foreign Direct Investment in retail and the impact of climate change on agriculture and forestry are new challenges that Pawar will be facing.

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